Episode 1410: Ballpark Figures
Date July 30, 2019 Summary Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the Gerrit Cole strikeout fun fact, listed heights and weights and Ketel Marte, running the bases clockwise, and a Ramon Laureano postgame comment, then answer listener emails about come-from-behind (and comeback) victories, whether the 2015 season was good or bad for Bryce Harper (and how players’ success is perceived), and whether umpiring crews should expand to include replacement umps, plus Stat Blasts about the benefit of running on 3-2 counts and the record for most MLB ballparks played in. Topics * Defining a comeback and come-from-behind win * How Bryce Harper's MVP season impacted his career * Impact of player success on future expectations and perception * Added value of running on 3-2 counts * Most stadiums played at * Replacement umpires * Umpire replacement level and workload Intro The Bevis Frond, "Enjoy" Outro Willie Nelson, "I'd Trade All of My Tomorrows (For Just One Yesterday)" Banter * Ben and Sam decide to delay discussing the Marcus Stroman trade until after the deadline. * Sam is still confused about the popularity Gerrit Cole 'fun fact' that he is the second fastest player every to reach 200 strikeouts in a season. * Ketel Marte said he weighs somewhere between 200 and 210 pounds (he is listed around 160). Ben mentions emailing the Reds in Episode 1020 to find out why they were the only team that listed specific player weights. * Sam continues to listen to Jeff-era episodes and thoroughly enjoyed his impression of a dolphin trying to talk to a human in Episode 1319. * Episode 1319 follow-up: Sam thinks that if batters could choose which direction to run it would take away almost all of the positional flexibility that righties currently have. * Ramon Laureano's comments about how he "doesn't really enjoy anything". Email Questions * Tim: "What do you consider a come-from-behind victory? If the home team trails 1-0 going into the bottom of the first and wins, is that one? If the home team loses a lead in the top of the ninth and then comes back in the bottom of the ninth, is that one? My very unscientific method is you can only call it a come-from-behind win if you are trailing by more than five at any point or the number of runs trailing equals the number of out left. Thoughts?" * Ken: "I was just at a Dodgers/Phillies game and realized folks will never be fully satisfied with Bryce Harper because what they thought they would be getting is this years’s Cody Bellinger for the next 10 years. That got me thinking... could the worst thing that happens in Harper’s career turn out to be his performance in 2015? Monetarily, it was great for him because that season helped to make him a $300 million dollar man and reinforced falsely, in many minds, that he is Mike Trout’s equal. But it also means Phillies fan will likely believe, over time, that he underperformed if Harper doesn’t come close again to his 2015 season. In other words, is it better for player who everyone touted would be an inner-circle Hall of Famer if he never met those expectations in any season and everyone realized they were wrong and he just became a great player who never quite reached the pinnacle? Or is it still better for a player to reach the mountaintop in one season and never climb it again, leaving everyone to wonder why he couldn’t repeat his greatness?" * Carl: “Josh Reddick recently noted on social media that after playing at Busch field recently, he has now played in every ballpark in the majors. I'm sure this is pretty common but it got me to wondering: what player in MLB history played in the most ballparks in their career? I imagine it would have to be someone who had a long career that spanned an era that saw a lot of new ballparks. I thought maybe Cal Ripken, Rickey Henderson or Barry Bonds might be the most likely answers.” * Daniel: "I am watching the Mets game tonight, as I do pretty much every night, and for the third time this season, the home plate umpire had to exit due to being hit by a foul ball. The part that seemed interesting to me is that there isn't a replacement umpire to take the place of the injured umpire, leaving the remainder of the game in the hands of a three-man crew. My question is, do you think having a replacement umpire available would be feasible or not, considering how many games there are in a given night?" * Nathan (St. Paul, MN): "In the Mets/Dbacks game on Friday May 31, Carlos Gomez hit a double down the LF line to drive in what was this winning run. Jim Wolf was forced to leave the game earlier, which meant that Rob Drake had to hustle out from behind the plate to call the ball hit by Gomez fair/foul. While called fair, the Mets' TV replays were inconclusive and it didn't look like Drake had time to get a great angle to make the call. Should umpire crews consist of 5 umpires who rotate so that one ump is off each night? This way someone could fill in due to injury and it would give a regular off-day to everyone. Given this is the highest level of baseball in the world, is it acceptable for a crew to have to ump shorthanded? Is there a reason besides MLB not wanting to hire an additional 15 umps? This would provide their union with more jobs and could be a bargaining chip in future negotiations." Stat Blast * Sam looks at the added value of running on a 3-2 count. He compares two-out situations where there is a runner on first, first and second, or bases loaded with 3-2 counts and all other counts. * With a runner on 1st and two outs the runner scores 15% of the time in a non 3-2 count and 24% of the time in a 3-2 count. * With runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs the run expectancy increases from .98 to 1.19 when there is a 3-2 count. * With the bases loaded and two outs the run expectancy increases from 1.98 to 2.21 when there is a 3-2 count. * Gary Sheffield is the all-time leader in stadiums played at, with 51. There are 279 players who played in 40 or more. Notes * When discussing Ramon Laureano's comments Sam says that he no longer feels emotions, mostly anxiety and anticipation. * Sam defines a comeback as winning a game after being down any point in the final three innings. Ben suggests that you could also use a certain threshold of win expectancy to define this. * Ben and Sam think that umpiring crews can function well enough with three but that a five man crew would allow for days off, which umpires rarely get (besides travel days). Links * Effectively Wild Episode 1410: Ballpark Figures * Ramon Laureano's post-game comments * Most MLB Ballparks Played In * Minor-League Umpires are Prospects Too by Jeff Sullivan Category:Episodes Category:Email Episodes